From Social Distancing to a New Sense of Community - A European Perspective

Our lives have fundamentally changed over the last four months. Gradually we have been forced to let go of our routines, pushed back into the most inner virtual circles of our families and friendships. Social distancing to protect ourselves, our spouses, our children, our friends, our communities. An act of altruism, grace of charity. As we fight the social and economic consequences, as we mourn the losses caused by this pandemic, we also have a major opportunity to rediscover the very foundations, pillars, our societies have rested on for centuries and to redefine our routines for more sustainability in our lifestyles.

Managing our Emotions and Striving for a Higher Purpose.

The world is moving under our feet. We are concerned for our health and the wellbeing of our loved ones. Economic concerns are propelled by discontinuation of businesses, rising unemployment and supply chain disruptions. In many countries, empty store shelves trigger panic buying of basic products. Shelter in place orders, closures of schools and universities as well as isolation of the most vulnerable in assisted living homes limit social interaction to phone calls, messaging and videoconferencing. Under the magnifying glass of media outlets and without many distractions, many struggle with alternating waves of anxiety and hope, loneliness and overwhelm. In this situation, practicing self-reflection, being mindful and intentional can provide a counterweight to balance our emotions and to provide support for those around us, in our families, communities and companies. Creating much needed calm and reflection to tackle the immediate and longer-term challenges of this crisis.

On a societal and political level, necessary social distancing measures have put literally more space between us and our environment. While it is easier to bridge the gap with family members and friends (who we are emotionally closer with) or with supervisors, peers, colleagues, business partners and representatives from associated interest groups (who we share interests and objectives with), there is a gap that is more difficult to overcome with the rest of society or other societies. This can provide a feeding ground for xenophobia and neophobia. Recent incidents all over the world suggest that exclusion of minorities or foreigners, in some cases even violently, are increasing. The international spread of the virus has been a reminder how closely interconnected all people are. The management of the crisis to slow the spread, but also the discovery, testing, production and distribution of therapies or vaccines require international collaboration. Regulators, scientists, health care professionals and representatives of pharmaceutical and chemical companies around the world accelerate collaboration efforts at an unprecedented speed. All driven by a common objective to identify treatments and vaccines. By re-instilling a common, higher purpose, societies, communities and organizations unify their members and unleash their creative power in our efforts to curtail the pandemic and related economic damage.

Practicing Gratitude and Returning to Core Values.

Health care professionals contain the spread of the virus, fight for the recovery of patients and save lives. Essential workers support not only our medical systems, but also operate key transactions in our societies ensuring supply of essential good. Schooling is being redefined by leveraging social media and home-schooling is stretching parents all around the world. These and many more examples are stark reminders how basic services and support, usually taken for granted, make a huge difference in all our lives, every single day. Regulators find new ways to speed up approval processes. Companies contribute by reassigning assets or donating essential goods. The boundaries of what is considered possible are being pushed. In these dark times with little distraction, it is important to reflect on all the support we are receiving. Hardly noticeable, we are progressing in our fight against the virus every single day. Being mindful of all the support and small successes creates a deep sense of gratitude. Practicing gratitude, for example in a journal, will over time change the way we interact with each other. Leading with gratitude can be powerful in times of transformative change.

Finding the right balance between slowing the spread and mitigating the social and economic effects of the necessary measures to fight the pandemic has been and will be a huge challenge. With the risk of several waves of infections, we will be living with this kind of ambiguity in the foreseeable future. As decision makers in governments and the economy struggle to make decisions in this kind of environment, a strong set of shared core values and guiding principles are indispensable to navigate through this difficult time. Like a common purpose, shared values unify people and create a sense of convergence.

In times like this, we need inclusive, mindful leadership that is deeply rooted in a higher purpose, shared core values, a genuine interest in other views and opinions as well as willingness to compromise in the best interest of society. While we focus on mitigation measures, we are also preparing for a new future with a new sense of community.

Finding New Solutions and Pivoting onto New Paths

While we are in crisis management mode with regard to our mitigation measures against the spread of the virus as well as the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, we are preparing for the future at the same time. Massive stimulus packages have been approved by governments to fight the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. It is worth reflecting where we have been before the crisis, how the crisis will change our lives long-term and what opportunities the stimulus packages may hold.

We should be cautious not to revert back to the "old normal", the time before the crisis. Economic inequality has soared not only within nation states but also between different countries and geographies. Climate change remains mankind's biggest challenge for generations to come. Intolerance to other people's beliefs or way of living is now openly expressed, in not few cases violently. Rising populism and nationalism as well as a polarizing media landscape have fueled societal division. As horrific as the pandemic and its real life consequences are, we have an opportunity to define a new target state for our societies.

The pandemic and its economic consequences will change our lives fundamentally. New norms and creative solutions for the life with COVID-19 will spill over into the "new normal". Business models have changed: (1) Telemedicine will continue to represent a substantial portion of doctor's appointments, not only changing the doctor-patient relationship, but also the traditional sales model of the pharmaceutical industry; (2) banking customers are pushed towards online banking solutions further pushing traditional banks to reconsider their business model and differentiation from new tech players with data driven business models; (3) with social media, telephone and video conferencing replacing business travel, airlines, rental car companies and hotel chains are forced to downsize or identify new market segments. All the aforementioned examples will cause additional ripple effects in our economies. Reports of improved air quality in mega cities such as New Delhi or in the northeast of China benefitting from lower economic activity and less traffic raise the question of the sustainability of our "normal ways of life". Social media, remote working solutions change the way people interact with each other in the crisis. While many miss the social gatherings with colleagues, customers, virtual solutions may long-term make up a significant share of business interactions. We should have the courage to reflect upon all the changes, positive and negative, caused by the crisis and make a conscious decision how we can create a more sustainable future for all.

The massive stimulus packages either already approved or in discussion by major economic players such as China, India, the United States or the European Union offer a huge opportunity to position societies for a new target state. Instead of spending billions and billions of future tax payer money on preserving declining industries, we should invest in new technologies and industries that create the foundation for a more sustainable global economy. In particular for the European Union, a new, integrated economic and fiscal policy could guide the way out of the decade long institutional crisis. With an emphasis on driving the fourth industrial revolution in Europe, the creation of an autonomous digital economy, industrial automation and the strengthening of its leading position in the field of environmental technologies could be jumpstarted by smart investments with a massive stimulus package. With changing industrial landscapes, spending in education, research and development should be substantially increased to meet the industries' requirements of the future workforce.

Drawing a Bigger Circle & Striving for Unity

In times of crisis followed by massive transformations, we need reflected, inclusive and visionary leadership in particular in politics. It is interesting to observe how in selected countries the crisis response has been managed in a particularly unspectacular way focusing on what is relevant for people. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, for example, has risen to the occasion. So far, the CDU and SPD coalition on federal level with strong support from all state governments have transparently prepared and navigated the German population through the crisis. In Germany, public private partnerships have been forged to support the crisis response and to alleviate pressure from the German health care system. The German government and state representatives prepare the German population for infection waves that may occur until a vaccine has been developed. The calm and reflected crisis management of the grand coalition as well as the unity of federal government and federal states has all but nipped the rise of "Alternative for Germany", the right-wing movement with divided leadership and a nationalist messaging, in the bud. The next big challenge for Germany will be to agree with its European partners on a mutually beneficial path forward for the European Union. The institutional crisis in the European Union can only be overcome by convincing all European member states to co-develop a European industrial "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the continent after a financial crisis in 2008/9 and the pandemic of 2019. While the austerity programs of the last decade have divided Europe even further and eventually culminated in the BREXIT, it is now time to courageously prepare Europe for the joint future. Europe will only remain relevant on the world stage by positioning itself as a leading power between the United States of America and China. The relationships with both the United States and China need to be redefined from a pan-European position of strength.

In summary: Balancing short-term crisis management and long-term recovery planning requires leaders in all parts of society to self-manage emotions. The full potential of communities and organizations can be unleashed and perspectives can be changed by leading with gratitude. Our response to the pandemic has to be based on value based and purpose driven leadership to unify people in our efforts to slow the spread, effectively cure the disease and to manage the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. Decision makers in politics and the economy have a unique opportunity to leverage massive stimulus programs to create a better, more sustainable society and economy. In particular, the European Union should use this opportunity to reposition itself in the new geopolitical context that has unfolded over the past 10 years.